Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Ajayi, of orchestrating a politically motivated prosecution designed to secure his conviction and disqualify him from contesting the 2027 presidential election. In a post shared on his X handle on Thursday, June 25, 2026, Sowore alleged that the DSS leadership had resorted to using the courts after an earlier attempt to frustrate his party's primary election failed. "The lawless DSS DG, Tosin Ajayi, shall be disgraced and forgotten, just as the former DG of that lawless agency under the Buhari regime was disgraced!" Sowore wrote. "His overzealous determination to prosecute and convict me on behalf of his boss, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, using Justice Muhammad Umar of the Federal High Court, will not stand the test of time".
The activist's explosive allegations came just days after he was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, following the revocation of his bail by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court on Monday, June 22, 2026. Sowore is being prosecuted by the DSS over social media posts made on August 25, 2025, in which he referred to President Tinubu as "a criminal" following remarks attributed to the president during a visit to Brazil. The case, which has drawn widespread attention, has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over the use of state institutions to silence political opposition in Nigeria.
Allegations of a Coordinated Conspiracy
In his social media posts, Sowore claimed that the DSS had initially attempted to frustrate his party's primary election but, having failed, resolved to secure his conviction to prevent him from running for president. "Their initial plan was to stop our party primaries, but when that failed, they resolved to convict me so that I would not be qualified to contest the next election," he said. The activist also alleged that the DSS Director-General was collaborating with Justice Umar to advance a political agenda against him. "His overzealous determination to prosecute and convict me on behalf of his boss, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, using Justice Muhammad Umar of the Federal High Court, will not stand the test of time," Sowore declared.
Sources familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters that the DSS leadership allegedly influenced the decision to place Sowore in a section of the correctional facility considered unsafe, with the intention of creating grounds for his eventual transfer into DSS custody. According to the sources, the alleged plan was to have Sowore's legal team raise concerns about his detention conditions before the court, after which the DSS would seek an order allowing the activist to be remanded in its custody. "The DSS DG told prison officials to place Sowore in a terrible section of the prison. The plan is that once Sowore's lawyer raises concerns about the conditions of his detention in court, the DSS would seek an order transferring him to its custody," one of the sources said. "That way, they would have him under their direct control. They have unpleasant plans for him".
DSS Denies Allegations, Insists Court Action Was Judicial
The Department of State Services has denied any involvement in Sowore's remand, insisting that the activist's detention arose entirely from court proceedings and not from any action taken by the agency. In a statement issued on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the DSS traced the case to August 2025, when Sowore made social media posts about President Bola Tinubu following remarks attributed to the president during a visit to Brazil. The agency said it filed charges against Sowore under the Cybercrimes Prohibition, Prevention, Amendment Act, 2024, over a social media post in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as "this criminal".
The DSS also ordered an investigation into the conduct of its operatives following a chaotic scene at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, where Sowore was remanded. The agency's Deputy Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Favour Dozie, said the service was particularly concerned about "the scene depicting Sowore's altercation with an official of Custodial Center and a seeming scuffle with operatives of the Service". The DSS noted that although Sowore "curiously opted for a DSS vehicle instead of that of the Correctional Service" at the end of the saga, the Director General had ordered an immediate investigation into the alleged conduct of service operatives involved in the incident.
'Sowore Is the Only Vocal Voice' — AAC Says Government Is Targeting Activist Out of Fear
The African Action Congress has said that increasing public support for its presidential candidate is responsible for what it described as the Federal Government's continued persecution of the activist. Speaking on News Central TV, the party's National Publicity Secretary, Rex Elanu, said Nigerians are increasingly identifying with Sowore because he remains "the only vocal voice" challenging the administration of President Bola Tinubu and speaking openly about the country's worsening economic and security situation. According to Elanu, the government's prosecution of Sowore is politically motivated and designed to silence dissent. "With the present reality of Nigerians, people are beginning to wonder where their freedom will come from, whether there is any hope for the future and whether there is a better country ahead of us," Elanu said. "And that brings them to Sowore because he's the only vocal voice at this point in time that is speaking truth to power, bluntly, the way it should be".
Elanu also accused the Department of State Services of attempting to impress the President through the prosecution. "What the DSS is doing is eye service. The DG of the DSS wants to impress his boss, and of course his boss is also scared," he alleged. Providing an update on Sowore's detention, Elanu clarified that the activist was currently in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service rather than the DSS. He recalled an incident in which DSS operatives allegedly attempted to take Sowore away from court premises but were resisted by supporters. "The DSS attempted to take him on Monday, but there was serious resistance at the gates and we refused them to take him out. Eventually, correctional officers took him to the custodial centre," he said.
Legal Battles and Political Turmoil
Sowore's legal troubles are the latest chapter in a long-running battle between the activist and the Nigerian state. The publisher of SaharaReporters has faced multiple prosecutions over the years, including a 2019 treason trial following his role in the #RevolutionNow protests. His current prosecution stems from a DSS petition filed after he referred to President Tinubu as "a criminal" in social media posts. The case has been marked by procedural drama, including the revocation of Sowore's bail after he failed to appear for a scheduled hearing on June 16, 2026. His legal team argued that the absence was due to Sowore consulting with his new lead counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, who had formally briefed the court on the matter.
The case has also attracted criticism from civil society organisations and opposition figures, who have accused the government of using the courts to intimidate political opponents. Timi Frank, a former All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesman, described Sowore's arrest as "a disgrace and a show of shame by the DSS," calling it "a desperate attempt to intimidate opposition leaders and silence voices of dissent in the country". The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has also come under fire for recently honouring DSS Director-General Tosin Ajayi as "Man of the Year," despite repeated attacks on journalists and lawyers by DSS operatives. Sowore criticised the honour, saying, "Ironically, this is the same man the NUJ recently honored as 'Man of the Year,' despite his operatives assaulting and intimidating journalists and lawyers".
The case is set to continue on June 30, 2026, when the court is expected to rule on Sowore's application seeking the restoration of his bail and the setting aside of the bench warrant issued against him. Until then, the activist remains in custody, his presidential ambitions hanging in the balance. For Sowore and his supporters, the fight is not just about one man's freedom but about the future of democracy in Nigeria.
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